Lakers eliminated from NBA Cup after loss to Thunder

The Lakers lost to the Thunder on Friday, eliminating them from the NBA Cup. It was a close game throughout, but turnovers and struggles at the end of each quarter led to their loss.

Let’s break down three takeaways from the Lakers’ defeat.

The Lakers are essentially eliminated from the NBA Cup here, and won’t have a chance to defend their inaugural title into the elimination stage, dropping to 2-2 in Group B.

This loss to West-leading OKC has LA at 11-8 on the season.

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) November 30, 2024

Failure to close out quarters

The Lakers kept the game close throughout but struggled to close out each quarter. Head coach JJ Redick has cited this as an issue, and it continued against Oklahoma City.

LA was outscored 20-3 in the final minute of each quarter combined. Allowing second-chance opportunities in the final minute of each quarter and poor execution offensively swung the game toward the Thunder.

Redick and the Lakers will need to continue working on closing out quarters if they want to beat good teams moving forward.

Lakers turnovers and defensive rebounding

The Purple and Gold also struggled with turnovers and defensive rebounding in this contest. They turned it over 17 times, with Oklahoma City scoring 20 points off of those turnovers.

The Lakers’ struggles on the boards also led to additional opportunities that the Thunder took advantage of. Oklahoma City had 15 offensive rebounds, while the Lakers only had eight of their own.

The extra possessions that the Thunder created off of their offensive rebounds helped them earn the tight victory.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander goes off

The Lakers were unable to contain Thunder star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Despite double-teams and traps, Gilgeous-Alexander finished with a line of 36 points, six rebounds, and nine assists. He shot 13-28 from the field, 3-10 from three, and 7-8 from the free throw line.

Although the Lakers made it tough on Gilgeous-Alexander, he still scored at a high level and found open teammates when double-teamed.

Games like this expose one of the Lakers’ biggest problems: lack of an elite point-of-attack defender. Cam Reddish is a high-level defender, but his inconsistent offense can play him off the floor. The same can be said for Jarred Vanderbilt when healthy.

The Lakers may need to look on the trade market to add a reliable point-of-attack defender to take on assignments like Gilgeous-Alexander moving forward.

The LakeShow will now move on to a game on the road in Utah against the Jazz on Sunday.